


Hoodie Boy

by alezander



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Bromance, Chinatown, Fluff, Implied Relationships, M/M, Male Friendship, New York City
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-20
Updated: 2019-04-20
Packaged: 2020-01-20 19:55:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18532048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alezander/pseuds/alezander
Summary: A day off in their busy lives. Eiji wants to go out but Ash wants to sleep, so Shorter takes it upon himself to hang out with the Japanese boy.





	Hoodie Boy

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING: SPOILER UP UNTIL EPISODE 9 OF THE ANIME.
> 
> I would like to ship Shorter and Eiji, thank you. Anyone here with me? No? Yes? Wanna be friends?

It was one of those very, very, _very_ rare days off where they didn't have to worry about surprise attacks, sneaking around in secret alleys, wrestling with thugs or any other kind of trouble. Even Ash himself was spending the day in bed, determined to sleep that anyone who dared disturb him risked getting his head bitten off by the lynx. This did not stop Eiji from knocking on the teenager's door and making his way to the bed in careful tiptoe. He wanted to ask the gang leader out for a stroll under the blue, beautiful New York sky. Gently shaking the other's sleeping form, Eiji's attempts to wake Ash were all for nothing. The boy was simply dead to the world. With an understanding nod, he stood up and left the room quietly, but not without a disappointed pout on his lips.

"Wanna go out, Eiji?"

A glance to the right and Eichi found the familiar tuft of soft looking purple hair from the speaker. Instantly, the athlete's mood brightened. If Ash cared for nothing about going out, Eiji was going to have fun with Shorter instead. The shorter male nodded happily and was dressed in under a minute.

"I just realized that I haven't really gone looking around the city yet." Eiji chuckled, feeling better as he inhaled a huge gulp of sooty air.

"Everything went by so fast for you, all of us actually. Can't help it with a hot headed madman as a friend." Shorter added, his hands buried in his pockets as he constantly checked if he was walking too fast for Eiji. Walking around was meaningless if they weren't at each other's side.

"Yes. Sometimes, things happen that hurt to see. Whenever those things happen, I tell myself to move and maybe help, but I end up too afraid to think, to act. I-"

"Eiji." Shorter interrupted as he was vaguely aware that the innocent boy was about to launch into a bottomless spiel and that would be counterproductive with their little trip. "Let these _things_ ," the Chinese boss gestured at the word with an excessive wiggle of his fingers, "go for a moment. Lighten up. Look, how about we go shop you an entire outfit?"

"An outfit? Um..."

The taller male watched the other press his lips thoughtfully.

"An entire outfit sounds like a lot of work." Eiji said as he glanced at his friend's patented fashion. Somehow the soft fabric of Shorter's gray jacket caught his attention and he duly suggested it. "A hoodie would be nice."

"A hoodie then!"

Shorter announced decisively and led them into a boutique.

"Do you often shop here, Shorter?" Eiji asked when he noticed how the staff greeted the other in a more familiar tone then how employees usually did. Or maybe they were part of his gang? They didn't even seem suspicious about Shorter's glasses.

"Yeah, sometimes. They've got some sweet items and the designs are my style." The answer was offhandedly given, but Eiji could see the way his friend walked around the place like it was his own living room. He was that comfortable in the shop. "Wow, this is... Eiji come over a sec." Shorter said while holding up a hoodie with the most serious face, like when they are having a shoot off with Dino's men.

"Oof." Eiji couldn't help reacting like he did because the hoodie was the deepest ocean blue and was studded with colorful buttons and other shapes like seashells, fishes and stars. It was sickeningly _cute_ , but Eiji knew that he wouldn't ever wear the thing. But it was cute though, that he would admit. "Maybe something more low key."

Shorter wasn't even shaken. He was on a roll. "Okay, how about..." He showed another hoodie that vomited yellow and had prints of bananas on it, peeled and unpeeled, in alternating pattern. "...this one?"

"Right, first fishes and now bananas. Shorter, if this is a joke, I don't think-"

"I'm messing with you, you adorable thing." The taller male laughed, set the two choices back down on the rack before handing Eiji a third one. "I think you'll like this one."

Eiji's gaze locked onto the hoodie and couldn't take his eyes off it. The soft fabric was mint colored and it had white little outlines of birds in flight, seagulls he guessed, stitched onto the sleeves. Down at the front, the pockets had drawings of feathers printed with white ink on them. If held from a distance, the jacket could have been well seen as plain because of the hardly contrasting colors but standing close to it, its delicate patterns gave him the feeling of profound connection to it.

"Birds." Shorter closed the distance between them and looked at the article himself. "Cocky things in the sky, flaunting their freedom. But free, nonetheless." Slowly, the purple haired faced the other and Eiji looked back. The proximity allowed the boy to get glimpse of the other's eyes behind the sunglasses. "Maybe when all of this is over you could show us how you fly, Eiji."

A lump lodged in Eiji's throat at his friend's words. They meant a lot, for both of them. There was an immensely heavy promise hiding between the words and nodding firmly, the boy replied. "Yes, I'd be very happy and honored."

Shorter slapped a heavy hand on the other's back before swinging his arm over his friend's shoulders, guiding Eiji to the cashier where the Chinese boss paid for the hoodie himself.

"Shorter, wait. I can't possibly... Let me pay for it-"

"Oh, shut up." There was nothing in Shorter's countenance that allowed Eiji to insist any further, so he let the case rest and instead hugged the bag where the purchased hoodie lay folded. Besides, his purple haired friend looked awfully happy for someone who didn't buy anything for himself. "Let's have lunch, Eiji. Where'd you wanna eat?"

_I must thank him somehow_. A determined Eiji thought as they walked side by side again. "Chang dai." He answered.

"Ah, I don't want to cook today. And Chinatown is still swarming with pups." The Chinese boss raised his hands behind his head, appearing relaxed.

"Pups?"

"Little dogs, Eiji. Papa Dino's dogs."

"Oh."

Eiji felt the need to ask about Shorter's sister but thought that maybe his friend might not want to talk about it. Their situation was already worrying as it is, and there was no benefit from being constantly reminded of it. But it turned out that Shorter wasn't as sensitive as Eiji thought when the purplehead spoke.

"She's quite alright, last time I checked."

_Like he read my mind._ "That's good to hear." Eiji just couldn't wrap his head around the fact that Ash, Shorter and everyone had to live knowing that the enemy could play dirty and take their families hostage or worse. It wasn't an unusual plot but it was still underhanded, and Eiji shuddered. It was practically a matter of time before his own parents...

"Oi." Drifted Shorter's voice, his arm snaking around the other's shoulders. Eiji wondered if he really was just easy to read or his purpleheaded friend knew him well. "So about that lunch. I was thinking that you'd like to get on a ferry while we're at it. What do you say?"

"Oh, like on a floating restaurant?" Eiji's eyes gleamed.

The taller male nodded, causing his tomahawk to ruffle in the wind. "I'll get us to the harbor by my bike but I have to go back to the pub first." Shorter jogged away after muttering some vague reminder of "look out for Dino's men" and "don't get lost". It wasn't long before he was back though, the sputtering of his bike a gallant announcement to anyone on the street that this purpleheaded man here was a Chinese boss. Slightly nervous about turning heads, Eiji took a seat behind Shorter without being prompted.

The drive was an exhilarating experience for the Japanese. The wind rushed to his neck and his hair ruffled wildly where it was enclosed in his helmet. The faster Shorter drove, the louder the engine seemed and they had to yell to talk over the noise. Eiji felt giddy with the speed and his arms wrung the other's middle tighter, while Shorter kept pointing out rapidly passing landmarks and shops.

There weren't many choices on the ferry, so they bought their food from a diner close to port. They both ordered the two club sandwich plus one large drink combo, Eiji being lemonade and Shorter's being coke. The owner was really friendly, probably owing to the fact that Eiji was, according to her, a _cute_ foreigner and she was nice enough to offer watching over Shorter's bike.

They opted to eat their lunch standing up. Pigeons shamelessly attacked them for scraps so they had to wolf down the food quickly. When that was done, Shorter was showing and pointing at all the landmarks that could be seen from the boat as they rocked among the waves. Eiji's eyes practically popped in delight when the Chinese boss told him about the story of the Statue of Liberty, how it moved to lower the torch at midnight to rest its arm.

"Really?" The boy asked in awe.

"Oh my god, Eiji. No." Shorter could only shake his head in uninhibited laughter, not answering the other's question and picking out other famous spots in the distance.

The ferry felt short but by the time the got off, it was already early evening. The sun was a blazing red in the orange sky and the city of New York bathed in it's amber splendor. It was breathtaking, to say the least and by the way Eichi seemed to be soaking it in so contentedly made Shorter actually look all around him, seeing the city where he had made a mishmash of life. A life of both danger and thrill, friendship and betrayal. Shorter couldn't imagine any other place where he could've lived anything like the life he had here.

"A penny for your thoughts?" The boy enquired, a soft smile on his angelic face as he regarded the taller male.

"Nah, just... this is nice. When you ignore the shadows, it's pretty easy to be happier." That came out sappier than he intended but he knew that Eiji wouldn't shame him for saying that.

"Shadows don't chase you when you take flight."

The words were spoken so softly that the wind nearly carried them off, but they were strong enough to reinforce their resolve.

_Someday, when all of this is over..._

"Shorter there is one last place I'd like to go to."

"Yeah? Where's that?"

"Uh..." Eiji grinned a shy smile. "I'd like to visit the place where you get your hair done." The shorter male had to put his hands up, palms out in a gesture for Shorter to hear him out. "I mean, I think it's really cool, purple and shaved and all, so I kind of wanna check the place out."

"Eiji you don't deserve a tomahawk, not with that face." Shorter said dismissively. "On the other hand, you do need a trim with those locks. Can't having hair stuck in your eyes while making out with Ash."

That got the Japanese boy flushed red in the face.

"Wh-Wha...! No, it's not-"

"As if I'd actually believe Ash doesn't snog your mouth off every night." Aware that he was in control of the conversation, Shorter led them to the diner where his bike was parked with a smirk on his lips. Without letting the other explain himself, he drove them to a shop about two blocks away from Chinatown, in a spot that was narrower and quieter than the main streets. Eiji was still hung up on the teasing though.

"Really, Shorter. Ash and I are not like that." He was saying when they stepped into the shop. The barber had a glint of recognition in her eye when she spied her purpleheaded patron, and raised a tattooed eyebrow when she turned to the boy beside the regular. Little conversation was offered and she went to work immediately on Eiji, her blueberry bubblegum spat out as soon as the boy was seated. Eiji was not surprised about her intense fashion: long wavy black hair plaited and reaching down to her wide hips, half her head shaved to quarter of an inch tall, her lipstick a dark blue gray matte, large hoop earrings, a cute pink apron on top of her tight jeans and sleeveless crop top.

She was really pretty and Eiji often felt a shiver down his back whenever her fingers happened to brush neck. His friend was off to the side, observing the hair colors on display. He was humming and muttering to himself, his hand cupping his chin, when he turned and leaned against the mirror in front of Eiji. "What do you say I go orange next?" He asked, a goofy smile on his face and referring to his hair. It took no minute for the Japanese to think about it.

"You'll get spotted by enemies a mile away."

"Damn."

The sound of the barber's scissors snipping on Eiji's soft black locks, coupled with the vast silence of the evening in a lone street within the city, was relaxing and familiar. Without another word, Shorter sat on a chair and propped his arms on the back of it. He extended a hand and stroked the shorter male's fringe, his fingers soft and gentle. Eiji, who had been nearly dozing, was ushered awake. His big black eyes found Shorter's and they stared at each other, both not feeling any urgency to offer words. There was comfort in the quiet and they barely felt conscious of the barber with them in the room. Closing his eyes once again, Eiji pushed his nose into the warm hand and Shorter responded, cradling the boy's head and giving his nose bridge a slight massage.

_Like petting a cat._ The Chinese boss thought as he smiled, only stopping and drawing his hand away when the barber cleared her throat so she could work on her customer's fringe.

They were in no hurry to leave for home despite the steady drop of temperature as the night wore on. Eiji had taken out his hoodie and worn it proudly while Shorter chuckled and led them to his parked bike. The boy sighed and pointed at the city lights where he sat behind his friend as they drove around the streets for one last spin before going home.

"Shorter."

"Yeah?"

"I have something for you." The shorter male beamed as he produced a long box from his bag. They were standing right in front the pub after having parked. The purplehead's eyebrows went up as a show of surprise as he took the box and looked at it.

"It's my thanks for the hoodie and for spending the day with me." Eiji supplemented, scratching a finger on his cheek in slight embarrassment, but looked happy nonetheless. "I had a lot of fun and really, it must have been tiring to accompany me and going out knowing that everything is a mess right now..."

"Gee, Eiji you didn't have to. I was free and I had fun too. And might I add that there is never a day in this line of business that everything goes according to plan. It's plenty normal to get a sticky day every now and then." Shorter shrugged, seemingly nonchalant of the danger he lived through everyday. "Anyway, can I open it?"

"Sure." Eiji nodded, belatedly feeling nervous as he watched Shorter's expression closely, hoping to see his eyes from behind the sunglasses.

"Oh..." The purplehead breathed when he saw the pair of thin, polished wood, each longer than a foot, bound together at the tips by a flat metal ring, the sticks resting in cheap Japanese paper. "Cooking chopsticks."

_Does he like them?_

"I got them in hurry when you were fetching your bike so they're not that- oh!" Eichi was beginning to explain when he was smothered into a hug. Being the shorter one, the boy found himself standing in tip toe as Shorter pulled him closer, his strong arms wrapping Eichi tighter.

"You know, this means a lot." The Chinese boss whispered, a buried sniff in his voice. It was very endearing, in Eiji's opinion, and he was sure glad he bought that gift in the last minute. "Thank you, Eiji."

His heart felt fuller than ever when he heard those simple words from Shorter, and he proceeded to hug his taller friend back. It must have been an odd sight, two grown men hugging each other in front of a pub notorious as a gang's hideout. But they found that there was immense comfort in each other's arms and they kept themselves that way for some long moments until someone stepped out the heavy door and exclaimed.

"The fuck's going on here?"

Ash. Just fully awake and off to buy cigarettes. Or at least planned to. In a flash, he flicked a strong finger on the purplehead's forehead and pulled the Japanese towards himself by the wrist a little too aggressively. "What were the two of you doing just now?" The lynx growled indignantly, feeling as if he had been betrayed when in truth he felt the slightest tinge of envy.

"Nothing. Just went out on a date." Shorter answered, a grin on his face to hide his displeasure at having Eichi taken forcefully from him when they were sharing a tender moment. _He was... so soft._ "Slept well?"

"Tch. Yeah, I dreamt I had Dino's head cut and served on a silver plate."

"Wow, that's really creative."

A tensed silence followed, so Eiji knew he had to step in.

"So, um, Ash? You were headed off to somewhere?" He asked, looking up to the teenager who was so much younger yet more mature than he was. Slowly, Ash gave him a knowing look that didn't sit well with his mischievous smirk.

"Hm. Yeah, and you're coming with me." The lynx said lowly, his hand tugging the other's wrist so they could walk side by side. Eiji could only draw a gasp as he was taken away. His eyes met Shorter's, and although he could not release himself from Ash's grasp, the smile which he offered was enough to get his message across.

_Thank you, Shorter._

The purple head bit his lip. Inside his chest was a feeling that swelled and threatened to make him crazier than he already was. Between his fingers the pair of cooking chopsticks clacked against each other as he gripped them tightly. _A kiss on his cheek would have been nice._ Sighing and burying his hands in his hoodie pockets, Shorter turned and made his way inside the building.

 

 

...

 

 

There was just too much _pain_ for him to think clearly. Pain and fear. Black hair, dark eyes. Beautiful, soft skin. Eiji...? Then there was Ash, tied to the ceiling by cuffs connected to loud, clanging chains. Then the _boy_ moved and he, or what was left of him, lashed out. He had to protect himself, he had to. Or else, the _boy_ was going to hurt him. Even knowing that the _boy_ was right there brought immense pain to him. He couldn't take it, not anymore. He was broken and Ash knew it too well. Heavy steps on his bare feet brought him to his friend, Ash's blonde hair sticking to his neck with his sweat as their eyes met, one of them panicked and the other one tired, but both of them so desperate. He knew that Ash understood what he had to do.

_I'm glad to have been your friend._

_Take care of him._

_It hurts. Set me free._

_Ash, thank you._

**Author's Note:**

> This is my tribute to Shorter Wong who captured my heart like a storm just when I thought I was not going to have a favorite character in Banana Fish. HOW WRONG I WAS.
> 
> I've only watched up to episode 9 of the anime so far (haven't read the manga yet). I've been putting off the rest for nearly three months because I was so heartbroken. I might pick up where I left off after this is published but damn, BF will never be the same without that purple headed man with the hottest tomahawk I've ever seen in a character.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you have a great day!


End file.
